


Talisman

by snapchattingnct



Series: #00FFTOBER [6]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, goodluck charm, minor College AU, minor military au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-26 15:47:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20932724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snapchattingnct/pseuds/snapchattingnct
Summary: Day 6 of #00fftober, a markhyuck edition ft. side norenmin.





	Talisman

**Author's Note:**

> I did not plan this one to be this long but it kind of just happened. So enjoy!

“We’ll be back soon, we promise.” Jaemin smiled, speaking on behalf of the three of them. “Trust me, in a blink of an eye, you’ll be back here to pick us up from the airport again.” 

“That’s such a lie,” Renjun argued, eyes brimming with tears. Dragging his sleeve across his eyes, he said, “You guys are literally going to be gone for at least half a year. _ At least. _” 

As Jaemin continued convince them all that time will definitely pass by faster than it seemed, Mark eyes Donghyucks’s shaking figure worriedly. Donghyuck has barely spoken a single word to any of them, him included. And if anyone knew that boy, Donghyuck couldn’t shut up even if someone forced him to. The boy was known to be able to talk anyone’s ears off. So to see him so quiet was unnerving for Mark. 

Watching as Renjun cried out and throwing his arms around both of his boyfriends, Jeno and Jaemin, Mark decided to let the three boys have their own privacy. So he reached out for Donghyuck’s hand, linking their hands together, and pulled him away to a quieter corner of the airport. 

Once they were away from most of the public’s eye, Mark listened Donghyuck’s sniffles and uneven breaths increase, an attempt at trying to calm himself down. Immediately reaching up to cup the boy’s face, Mark gave him a small smile, whispering, “Hey, hey. Look at me. Don’t cry baby.” 

Releasing a shuddering breath, Donghyuck cries, “Don’t say that, you’re going to actually make me cry…”

“Ugh, Hyuckie don’t be like this...” Mark felt his heart squeezed painfully in his chest as he saw the tears building up at the corner of Donghyuck’s eyes. “You’re going to make me cry too.” 

“How am I supposed to _ not _ cry when you’re leaving like this…” Donghyuck whispered through trembling lips. “It’s not even a _ guarantee _ that you’ll be back Mark…” Tears were beginning to make their way down his cheeks at this point, Donghyuck barely being able to contain them any longer.

“Hyuckie…,” Mark breathed out, he reached for the younger boy and pulled him into his arms. “I’ll be back, don’t worry.” Carding his fingers through Donghyck’s hair, he tightened his arms around the boy. “It’s just a border disturbance. I’m not actually going to war.”

“What difference is it?” Donghyuck whined. “Border disturbance, war, it’s the same. You’re still being shipped off to some location thousands of miles from me.” 

“I know, I know. But seriously, don’t worry. I’ll be back. I promise.” 

“You better.”

Laughing lightly, Mark teased, “It’s not like I have an option, do I? You’ll probably fly over there and drag me back to Seoul yourself if I didn’t.”

Rubbing his sleeve over his eyes harshly, Donghyuck nodded. “Damn right I will.”

“See, nothing to worry about. I’ll come back regardless.”

“Well, just in case,” Donghyuck began as he reached into his pockets. Pulling out a thin metal bracelet, he reached for Mark’s hand. Slipping it through the latter’s hand, he secured it in place. “A good luck charm for the trip.”

“Oh, you didn’t have too…” Mark gasped, eyes mesmerized by the bracelet. Thumbing the tiny charms on it, Mark looked back up at Donghyuck, smiling. “It’s beautiful.”

“Of course it is. I picked it out.” Donghyuck replied, rolling his eyes. “Also, this talisman stuff better work or else I’m getting my money back from that witchy old lady. Getting her to charm this thing cost me a whole day’s worth of work at the cafe.”

Mark pulled Donghyuck into another tight hug, arms falling around the younger’s waist as he snuggled into his neck. He placed a soft kiss right below Donghyuck’s ear, speaking softly, “Don’t worry. I’ll come back to you. No matter what, I’ll be back. I promise babe.”

Words being muffled into Mark’s shoulders, Donghyuck nodded. “I know… you always keep your promises…” Then breaking away from the hug but not straying far away from Mark’s arms, Donghyuck brushed away some non-existence dust off of Mark’s uniform. “Alright, markhyuck sad hours are over. Time for you to get on that plane…”

Mark nodded. Tucking a lock of hair behind Donghyuck’s ear, he smiled. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

.

Donghyuck was in the middle of his shift at the cafe when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Taking a look around to see if anyone was watching, he only saw the girl that he just rang out not too long ago and then his boss was still hiding in the office since their morning rush. Deeming it safe to take a peek at his phone, he stealthily slipped it out from his pocket and hid it underneath the counter.

_ ‘I know that you’re probably at work but I’m going to call anyways’ _

Nearly dropping his phone in shock, Donghyuck rose his phone from the below the counter so that it was right in front of his eyes. Eyes rereading over the message again and again, he tried to convince himself that he wasn’t hallucinating. Then suddenly an incoming Facetime cleared out the text message completely, replacing it instead with Mark’s selfie that Donghyuck had set for his contact photo awhile back. 

Gasping, Donghyuck looked up from his phone in search of Renjun. When he spotted him coming out of the stock room, holding a box of paper cups, Donghyuck shouted, “Cover for me! Mark is calling!” Not even bothering to hear Renjun’s reply, he hastily made his way back into the kitchen before propping his phone up against the counter and answering the call.

As the call connected, Donghyuck nearly cried out in happiness when he saw Mark’s face appear on the screen. Beating the older boy in greeting, Donghyuck cried out, “Mark freaking Lee, I can not believe it took you this long to call!”

Donghyuck watched as the boy chuckled, his eyes disappearing into little crescents as he replied back, “Well hello to you too Hyuckie.”

Waving his hands around frantically, Donghyuck whined, “Okay, okay enough with the basic pleasantries. I’m at work, we don’t have time for all of that.” 

“I know. Sorry, I knew that you were probably working but this would be my only chance to call until like next month.”

“No, it’s okay. Renjun’s covering for me right now.” Donghyuck dismissed Mark’s apology with a shake of his head. “If he wasn’t, I would have answered anyways. I wouldn’t miss your call for anything else in the world.”

“Cute.”

“I’m serious!”

“I know, I know.” Mark laughed. Then clearing his throat, Mark switched the topic. “So how’s your classes, Professor Park still being a pain in the ass?”

Sighing exasperatedly, Donghyuck rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Yes. Oh my gosh. Ever since his favorite student, the golden boy, aka _ you _, left. He’s been even more of an ass. Like come on, what does you leaving have anything to do with the length of the report? Ten page report on the concept of dynamic equilibrium? What a joke…” 

“Hey, there’s plenty that you can talk about. Dynamic equilibrium is a pretty cool topic.”

“Yeah, for a smartass like you. I’m just trying to do the bare minimum to pass, okay?”

“It’s not even that hard, Hyuck. I left you all my notes didn’t I?”

“Yeah, but---,” Donghyuck started to complain only to stop just as soon as he started as he began to notice the white background behind Mark’s face. Then upon further inspection, he noticed the heart beat monitor to Mark’s right, beeping in rhythm with the boy’s heart. Snatching his phone up from the counter, he yelled, “Are you in the med bay?”

Mark looked around the room as if he didn’t realized where he was in the first place before muttering sheepishly, “Oh, the med bay? Yeah, I am. Me and Jeno had a little scuffle with the enemies while patrolling the borders.” Then unconsciously touching the gaze that was wrapped around his biceps, Mark shugged, “Nothing big though. Just a small cut.”

“Just a little scuffle by ass.” Donghyuck cried out, his heart beating erratically in his chest as he saw Mark winced when he reached out to touch his bandaged arm again. “Because a small cut like that would totally have you hooked up to so many machines.” Donghyuck eyed the endless amount of wires connected to the boy, from IV solutions to health monitors. 

Rolling his eyes, Mark sighed. “Okay, fine. I may or may not have blacked out afterwards…”

“You what?” Donghyuck’s eyes widen into the size of saucers, his breathing became labored. “You blacked out?”

Seeing the younger boy on the verge of a mental breakdown, Mark waved his hands frantically, but wincing in pain at the sudden movement. As he clutched his arm in pain, he tried to reassure his boyfriend that it wasn’t that serious. “Hey, hey. I’m fine. I’m okay. They said that I just needed some rest before I head out on the next mission.” 

Bottom lip wobbling Donghyuck whispered, “You promised that you wouldn’t get hurt Mark…” Then in a bitter tone, he added, “That stupid tailsman didn’t do jack. You still got hurt. I’m hunting that old witch down for my money back.”

“Okay, there’s no need for you to get violent over there.” Mark laughed. “That talisman definitely did its job. I’m still here, alive and breathing, aren’t I? Just one more month, and I’ll be back in Seoul with you. Promise.”

“Yeah, well you better.” He huffed. “I don’t think I can spend another day without you… You’re never allowed to leave me for this long ever again. Six months is way too long.”

“Six months isn’t even that long, Hyuckie. Be happy that I wasn’t forced to take the eighteen month mission.”

“Oh, trust me, I am. But it would have been better if you didn’t have to go at all.” 

“We can’t have everything in life can we?”

“Well, all I want is you and it seems like I can’t even have that.” Donghyuck pouted.

Laugh ringing out loudly, Mark shook his head, a light blush decorating his cheeks. “You will soon, baby.” 

“I better.” Donghyuck said as he continued to pout, eyes looking downcast. 

Seeing Donghyuck’s sour mood, Mark called out for him, voice soft. “Hey, look at me.”

Hearing his words, Donghyuck lifted his gaze from his shoes. Wringing his fingers together, he asked, “Yeah?”

“I love you.”

Smile finally appearing, Donghyuck nodded, “I love you too.”


End file.
